Florence speech: May opts for ‘mild’ Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May attempted to rescue stalled Brexit talks and set out a vision for future ties in a speech in the Italian city of Florence hoping to convince the European Union elites she is ready to search for a compromise, also satisfying UK27 financial claims – so called ‘divorce allowance’.

Among major messages of the speech are proposals for a transition period of two years beyond the declared Brexit date of 30 March 2019, and payments according to made by the UK commitments. May also promised to continue co-operation in security & defence, and preservation of rights of EU citizens, living in the UK.

The speech was a deception for those voted #Brexit by loose framework, and financial concessions May is prepared to make in name of a smooth transition. She has clearly abandoned the concept of ‘no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain’, by offering to the EU27 a model, close to the existing one of Norway, however in the speech May denied she would look up to any of existing EU agreements with the third countries a prototype.

Driven by a wish for a midway to satisfy the claims of the EU27, ‘Brexiteers’, and ‘Remainers’ in her Florence speech May offered a lot of compromises, which did not appeal to any of the interested parties, as each of them perceived the glass half-empty.